bee studies

saw some bees today... they were hovering and buzzing, flying in and out of blossoms trying to decide were it would be best to land.  i even saw a black bee... yup - a full out black bee - i always thought they were yellow, or had some yellow in/on them... but as you'll see, this one is black - just black.  huh!

they are fascinating insects... and almost cute - if you're not in the midst of them buzzing around your head, smelling your sweat and fearing they might sting you at any moment. 

happy day.....

greeting the day...

i sometimes wonder what awaits us early in the morning... first thing - just as the sun is beginning to come up... the new day starting.  if i can drag myself from bed - give up that illusive sleep that only begins to come in the wee hours of the morning for me.  it can be a sacrifice if i'm willing... and if i can be aware.  so lately, i've been getting up early to get my picture of the day done but not paying much attention to the sky and what might be going on there.  in all honesty, i'm not paying attention to much of anything most days... i can be on auto pilot, if you know what i mean.

however, this is what greeted me today...

a moment in time that appeared as though god took his finger and painted sun color through the skies... leaving a purplish hue as a backdrop for the trees.  i stood in awe... and within several frames of my camera capturing it, it was gone - the colors altered, changed forever.

then a little while later, another gift...

what a special way to welcome the day...  a blessing to behold such loveliness and beauty in quiet moments away from the usual stresses...

happy day.....

bird on a mission

i saw a bird today...  i didn't even have to stalk him - he flew right to me

then i realized he was on a mission

paying no never mind to me - he went hip hopping right in front of me towards his goal

reaching down... he grabbed hold with its beak (he was mere inches from me)

mission accomplished... as he came up with the target intact. 

the whole time, this little fellow was so totally focused on his goal - his mission - nothing else was allowed to interfere.  he had his mind set on one task...knowing the steps he had to take to accomplish it and nothing was going to get in his way.  he showed such determination and strength... no fear.

it is exactly how we are as human beings, right?  we know those things we need to get done - the tasks set before us... the goals we set for ourselves...  be they large or small... of great importance or not.  without a goal, a task, a purpose what would your everyday be like?  aren't our every day's filled with little missions, too?  and we only need to figure out how we're going to accomplish those missions?  i'm going to go for it like my birdie friend:  with planning and focus and fortitude...

happy day.....

a new artist...

i love music...  i was browsing around the other day and stumbled across an artist/band i'd not heard of, gungor.  they've been around a number of years i think - are a christian band... but i'm not sure how to classify their music.  it's very eclectic in nature actually, using a varitey of instruments not typical of your average band these days.

the name of their newest release "beautiful things" is also the title song.  it speaks to how god makes "beautiful things out of the dust" then makes "beautiful things out of us..."  so simple, so true.  yet something we need to remember and cling to...  that we are indeed beautiful because god made us and loves us.

take a listen...




happy day.....

hope

are you needing some hope today? 

i receive a variety of messages through my email every day... from a myraid of people that i know.  sometimes, as with all emails we get, i briefly scan and then delete, paying very little attention to them.  admit it... you do this very same thing, don't you?  wishing your inbox was a bit less full?  you had more hours in the day and that your time was more valuable than sitting going through all the messages?  i know, i know...

but then... there's the one - that golden one where you sit back and go "ahhhh..."  that's good.  really good.  and you know you should share it... pass it on.  because there's a message therein needing to be spread, right?

this is how it was for me today; except i knew if i passed it along via another email - well, let's face it...  chances are, it would get deleted... passed over... missed!  i couldn't let that happen.  so i've chosen instead to post it here.  for everyone to see and hear.  for it's a song.  i don't believe that it was originally intended to inspire the kind of hope i'm talking about or alluding to... but i don't believe that matters.  just sit back... turn up the volume on your speakers and give a listen to mandy moore sing "only hope" to you...



what is your hope?  how do you find hope day after day when it seems like there's so little in the world... or bad things continue to happen... or there's so much negativity in the news or on the television? 

i'll tell you... god is my hope these days.  he is the same yesterday, today and forever - and that gives me a confidence and calm.  without him, i'm just not sure what i'd do... plus, the fact he gave his son for me - that solidifies my hope in him.  might you need that kind of hope today?  lift your arms and pray... he will listen - and give you the hope you're looking for... "for god so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

happy day.....

new paths...

do you ever have days when you decide you're going to follow a new path? you wake up thinking... i've got to try a different tactic? not that the old hasn't been working... just that perhaps you need a new venue - a change of scenery - a mind shift...

ever since my accident last year, i've been struggling with aspects of ptsd and driving has been especially difficult... one thing discussed in therapy was that maybe i should venture out on the roads at hours of the day when there would be very little traffic... to help me get back that sense of freedom and escape i used to have with being in my car. it's been a long time since i've had the wherewithal to get to the garden park, so i figured i'd get up really early this morning and venture out... when i thought few vehicles would be around. see what success i'd have. i wasn't thinking of success with my camera at all...

so i cranked up a cd... opened the sunroof on the car to let in the early morning cool air - and off i went. i admit anxiety still plagued me... but traffic was light and the idea was worth it for sure. as i tried to lose myself in the music, i pulled in to the park and began to think ahead about my photo for the day.

no sooner did that thought enter my mind than did i see a deer - right to the side of my car... in the grasses... imagine my excitement - and joy! what a treat... what a treasure... raising its head, looking directly at me and waiting for me to reach for my camera; it didn't move. i didn't breathe... i think i got about 3 shots off before, head down - off it darted. i sat back, heart beating rapidly. camera success!

how many opportunities do we miss out on because we do not dare... because we do not venture out... because we do not risk... because we're afraid to take that first step. i realize my ptsd isn't going to just magically disappear because i saw a deer this morning. but i do recognize the value in branching out - in problem-solving my situation and taking risks even when it's scary and anxiety producing. i must continue to do these things if i want to move on and experience life in its fullest form.

plus, maybe now i'll be able to buy those new sandals i've had my eye on...

happy day.....

a rose a day...

the roses have been blooming... i've been meaning to get some pics up of them... sigh...  so i have some days to make up for.  here are some samples  in all their glory...

what a sight to see.  plus, there's nothing like the sweet aroma and fragrance of a rose... but all too soon the blooms will be gone, the bushes will be green for the summer and they'll be just a memory 'til next summers buds begin again.

happy day.....

catch me if you can...

have you ever tried to catch a ladybug?  on purpose?  with intent?

they move fast... very fast...  especially when they have no desire of being paid any attention.  i came across this little one...

and then it became a game of cat and mouse... as he grew aware that i wanted to get him on film.  well, okay.  perhaps that's a stretch - but definitely he knew that something was up... i had my eye on him.

take a look...


going off the edge

playing hide and seek

jumping into oblivion

however most all my shots were merely blurs... as i attempted to keep up.  i really had hoped to get some wing action but surprisingly, he didn't try to fly away... being content to remain on the leaves and blades of grass. 

i don't even know if it was a "he"... how do you know if a ladybug is a he or she?  and why are they called lady?  and in the uk, they call them ladybirds.  boo!  why might that be?  different countries, different cultures... but we all see the same things and are fascinated by the same intriguing colors, shapes, movements and habits of nature, aren't we?

it all continues to make for a

happy day.....

summer is around the corner...

not sure what kind of bird has laid these wonderful little eggs...  but she is being a good mama - flying in and out of the wreath hanging on the front door of my friend's house... making sure the nest is just so and her eggs are well secured and protected.

i just got word today that the eggs have now hatched and there are wee little birdies squeaking inside... what joy...

and suddenly, the rose bushes are full of buds - sprouting forth as if to make up for lost time.  in just a matter of days, they have gone from tightly closed where you can see them in all their hairiness - to slowly beginning to burst forth...

glorious visions of beauty to see.

happy day.....

treasures

i found this treasure of brilliance today on a walk...

and then i read about treasures that god lays before us each day... i thought it would be special to share that with you today.  it comes from a little book called "jesus calling" by sarah young... a daily devotional i've been using lately... today's message said this:

"approach each new day with desire to find Me.  before you get out of bed, i have already been working to prepare the path that will get you through this day.  there are hidden treasures strategically placed along the way.  some of the treasures are trials, designed to shake you free from earth-shackles.  others are blessings that reveal My Presence: sunshine, flowers, birds, friendships, answered prayer.  i have not abandoned this sin-wracked world; i am still richly present in it.

search for deep treasure as you go through this day.  you will find Me all along the way."  colossians 2:2-3;  isaiah 33:6

isn't that just the greatest reading after seeing the flower?  because it always amazes me, too, that there are such a vast number of flowers around... both discovered and yet to be discovered... rich in tones, rich in colors... a myriad of varieties even in the same class - like tulips or roses... it's astounding.  only an awesome, magnificent god could do that for us - leave us hidden treasures to find every day...

happy day.....

grass

do you think about grass?  we walk on it...  it's usually planted in our yards...  birds eat it or the seed we put out...  it can burn in the sun... it turns brown in the winter months...  it can feel like silk against bare feet...  it will collect rain water...

did you get that last one?  it collects rain water... well and just plain water, too.  the water clings to each blade of grass and hangs there - for quite some time until something - wind, a person, a bug, an animal comes along disturbing it - causing it to roll into the ground and be absorbed.

the last several days it has rained and i've taken pictures of water droplets on the bushes and some trees around the house.  last night, it was an absolute deluge of rain... with some hail mixed in and thunder for effect.  i woke up this morning, stepped outside and was greeted by glistening grass.  even though it was an overcast, gray day the yard was filled with a sprinkling of diamonds because of all the water.  i grabbed my camera thinking this was my opportunity.... i was going to capture blades of grass with water drops!  i was so excited.

little did i know that it would be a tough challenge.  my pants got wet, my shoes got wet, my legs hurt from the different positions i was trying, my hands were cold and my nose was running.  every picture i snapped was ending up in a blur... taking close-ups is difficult, especially of a blade of grass.  i was just about to give up, when the camera began to cooperate and my finger developed a rhythm in depressing the button.  whew...  results of some special shots...

i am thankful for grass.  for all that it provides for us, the hope it gives and the fun it presented to me today...  and that it is so much greener after the rain.

happy day.....

birds of a feather...

today was a day for birding...  not on purpose, mind you.  i really was on the hunt for ladybugs - and i did see one of those, too, but i had a special treat with a couple of birds.

first off i had a plump red robin fall practically at my feet in the grass.  one minute i'm standing at the edge of the patio staring into a somewhat gray, overcast day.... the next, plop - a robin... with a wide-eyed look has fluttered to my feet.

i think we were both startled to pieces... kind of jumping and squealing just a bit.  and then that quickly, off he flew...

within the next several minutes i saw a flash of yellow in an overhead tree.  now typically, the usual birds that are seen in the backyard are robins, a house finch or two and a black bird.  nothing exciting... but this yellow streak - i was internally doing the dance of joy knowing it was a real treasure and i needed to be quiet.  enjoy the moment, snap a couple shots... realize this treat would probably never come around again.  so i did...

it was a wonderful moment... and made for a

happy day.....

white ducks

i have not seen many white ducks in the area... yesterday i had a special treat in observing about 5 of them playing at the little lake i visit, along with a few that had gray and black spots.  what a treasure they were... frolicking about in the sand and water...

they were docile and sweet in being around me - listening to the sound of my voice and honking back to me.

what an absolute treasure to behold god's creatures in their element; yet providing me with pleasure and entertainment at the same time.

it sure made for a

happy day.....

virtual friends

do you have any "virtual" friends?  ones that you communicate with online but have never met?  friends are vitally important to us... and i've realized over the last few days that it doesn't really matter whether we've met them face-to-face or not; a friend is a friend is a friend... you share pieces of yourself with them and they with you... you give your heart and it's a wonderful thing...a precious thing that cannot be measured. 

i've met some incredible people from around the world via a photo journal online over the last 10 months.  more than i expected, i have become close to them through sharing bits of myself through my photographs every day.  one of these individuals died suddenly this past weekend causing a ripple of shock through the community.... we just didn't expect it and were caught off guard by how greatly she had affected all of us with her journal.  in recent weeks, she was developing an affinity towards flowers and was shooting quite a number of them.

i shot this one in her honor today...  it seemed fitting that the day was cold, rainy, windy and sometimes the skies cut loose with hail.  molly would've found that "spot on"...

so as i found this standing alone, strong and tall, resilient in the weather - i will remember molly... for she was strong, resilient and determined to live life to the fullest... in honoring her, there will be many memories, laughs and smiles for all she shared and in the end, that does make this a

happy day.....

happy mom's day...

to the best mom ever...

you have endured much...  yet it has not affected your ability to be a strong, caring, giving, compassionate, loving, determined woman... setting a wonderful example still for your children - your grandchildren and your great grandchildren.

such a stunning and beautiful life to watch; and grateful... so blessed to be able to call you mother every day.  so proud to be your daughter...

thank you for all you have done... everything you've given - the sacrifices made - and all you continue to do for your children even now... 

much love to you for it is clearly a

happy day.....

tulips...

...are in bloom everywhere you turn these days... spring has come a bit late due to odd weather patterns.  i think it's been that way all around the country, though.

i've seen vibrant color and some unusual variety so had to share; any reason to stop, stare, take in the wonder and of course, snap a shot...

happy day.....